Fabrication of highly electrical synthetic leather with polyurethane/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate)

Poly(ethylene-3,4-dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonic acid)(PEDOT/PSS) water dispersions are commercially available, and various coating formulations for substrates, such as glass, plastics, and ceramics, have been suggested. Recently, it was found that the addition of a small amount of organic solvent, such as ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), to the aqueous dispersion of PEDOT/PSS increases the conductivity significantly. This study examined how a combination of solvent addition affects the PEDOT/PSS conductivity of artificial leather (napping fabric with short fur). In addition, the sustainability of the PEDOT/PSS conductivity for the common use of artificial leather was investigated using abrasion and tension cycle tests. The electric conductivity of the leather increased in the order of EG < DMSO < EG + DMSO. The sustainability of the PEDOT/PSS conductivity in the case of EG + DMSO was superior to that of the EG or DMSO solvents. The padding process was found to be a more effective method for achieving durability against abrasion and tension cycle with a lower deposit weight than when using the coating process. The mechanical properties of the synthetic leather using the padding process also showed high performance compared to the coating process.